Wenger hails 'exceptional' RVP

Arsenal captain Robin van Persie is right up there with the best strikers Arsene Wenger has ever seen.

The 28-year-old Dutch international notched his 29th goal of the season in Sunday's north London derby demolition of Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, maintaining his imperious form for the Gunners over the past 14 months.

Van Persie recorded a club record 35 Premier League goals in 2011, and has gone from strength to strength in 2012 - but that hasn't surprised Wenger - who says the forward's vision and movement on the football pitch is what keeps him one step ahead of the game.

"I think he has an exceptional technique, I mean really exceptional," he told Arsenal's official website. "I have seen many great players over 30 years but Robin van Persie's first touch is just exceptional.

"After that he has the qualities of left-footed players; they are very quick to finish, have great movement in the box and are very intelligent.

"When you look at great players, they are on the move and everybody else stands and watches the ball. That is the difference.

"They look like they attack the ball all the time but in fact it is because they anticipate a lot and they are a little bit ahead of the other players."

Van Persie has been an inspiration to his Arsenal teammates at times this season, his form almost single-handedly pulling the rest of the players through some difficult situations this campaign.

Wenger highlights the forward's reaction times, his ability to read the game and anticipate what is about to unfold as another reason why he has been so clinical in front of goal.

"It is a bit like rebounds in basketball, it is always the same players who catch the ball," he continued. "In football you always have the same players like that - Robert Pires, for example, was fantastic like that.

"When you analysed him he was always moving when others were standing and Robin has that quality too. It's not the way you finish, it's the way you move that gets you into the position."

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